Winderman: Heat's hopes could come down to Waiters as Oladipo 2.0 | Commentary

Perhaps the code is as simple as this: If Dion Waiters can be Victor Oladipo, then Pat Riley can yet prove prescient.

That well could be the takeaway of both this passive offseason for the Miami Heat and Riley's recent comments on the state of the team.

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In acknowledging his team's offseason inactivity, Riley pointed to a core that effectively lacked Waiters last season, first limited by ankle pain and ultimately sidelined by ankle surgery.

Riley noted that to truly know what you want, you first have to know what you have.

That proved to be the case last season for the Indiana Pacers with Oladipo, who initially arrived as a consolation prize in the trade of Paul George to the Oklahoma City Thunder. A year earlier, Waiters arrived to the Heat as a result of the Thunder prioritizing a Russell Westbrook extension over retaining Waiters.

Oladipo turned the corner last season in Indiana, earning an All-Star berth while carrying the Pacers to the No. 5 seed in the East.

As for further parallels beyond both being cast aside by the Thunder, Oladipo was the No. 2 pick in 2013 by the Orlando Magic, Waiters the No. 4 pick in 2012 by the Cleveland Cavaliers. Each is on his third team. While Waiters arrived to the NBA a season earlier, he effectively lost one season to his ankle issue. Oladipo has appeared in 366 career regular-season games, Waiters in 365.

"You can never predict anything in this league," Riley said. "You look at what happened last year to Indiana and how good they became getting [Domantas] Sabonis and Oladipo, how they changed, how their mentality changed. They made some good additions. Very few people talk about them."

It is that type of under-the-radar approach that has defined the Heat's offseason. No, there hasn't been anything this offseason like Indiana adding Tyreke Evans, Doug McDermott and Kyle O'Quinn, but those are the types of pieces the Heat are convinced they already possess, say with Tyler Johnson (or Dwyane Wade?), Wayne Ellington and Bam Adebayo.

Otherwise, if truly back healthy and motivated, Hassan Whiteside can perhaps counter what Myles Turner offers the Pacers, James Johnson the veteran savvy at power forward of Thaddeus Young, Kelly Olynyk a different type of Sabonis, and on down the line.

Granted, we're not talking about matching what is offered by the Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers or Toronto Raptors, but Riley also appreciates the difference coaching can make, just as the Pacers this past week extended the contract of Nate McMillan.

"One thing we have going for us is we have familiarity, we have continuity," Riley said. "There is a system that's been intact here."

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He added of the East race, "If it's a free-for-all, I'm all for that, because I think the door is wide open for almost anybody to do something very good."

But where the door is widest open is for Waiters. There was a point late last season for the Heat where it turned into Wade or bust. That produced all of one playoff victory. The Pacers, by contrast, had three against LeBron James and the Cavaliers and arguably were the team in that series that deserved to advance.

In a Heat summer that has had Whiteside and Erik Spoelstra patching a relationship, has centered on speculation about Wade's future, and had offered initial uncertainty about an Ellington return, it could come down to whether Dion Waiters can morph into Victor Oladipo 2.0.

"This year," Riley said, "is a pivotal year for these guys to try to dispel the notion and the perception out there that we are who a lot of people think we are."

That list, for the Heat, starts with No. 11.

IN THE LANE

NOT HAPPENING: It was always more speculation than anything close to reality, but LeBron James made clear to ESPN this past week that a return to the Heat was not in his thinking during free agency -- but that the Philadelphia 76ers and Houston Rockets were -- before he signed with the Los Angeles Lakers. "I definitely thought long and hard about the possibilities of lining up alongside Ben [Simmons] and [Joel] Embiid," he said of the 76ers' duo, "or lining up alongside [Houston's James] Harden and Chris [Paul]. I just felt like at this point in my career, the ultimate for me -- just like when I went to Miami [in 2010], everyone kind of looks at me joining a super team. But if people look at it, I think Miami was [47-35] the year before I joined that team and you can look at the Lakers' record -- so I like the challenge of being able to help a team get to someplace they haven't been in quite a while." He then mentioned a factor the Heat couldn't bring to the table. "Obviously, the Lakers haven't made the playoffs in a few years, but the Lakers organization and the historical franchise matches up there with all the greats," James said. "You can look at the Cowboys, and you can look at the Patriots, you can look at Manchester United, the Boston Celtics -- these are historical franchises. And for me to be a part of that, I think it's a great moment for not only me but for my family and for the history of basketball in general."

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THEY CALL HIM RIO: Former Heat guard Mario Chalmers insists he is not done at 32, merely waiting his turn in NBA free agency. "I know I'll be on a team next year. I'm not worried about that part," he told the Kansas City Star. "It's just a matter of time. They are getting all the young guys, all the big free agents out of the way now. I’m just waiting my turn." Chalmers, in his return from a season absence with a torn Achilles, appeared in 66 games with the Memphis Grizzlies last season, averaging 7.7 points and 3.3 assists. "At this point of my career, I'm wanting what's best for the team, what's best for the organization, trying to take care of little things to keep me on the court and help a team win." With the Heat backcourt bloated, a reunion tour would appear highly unlikely for the team's 2008 second-round acquisition and two-time NBA champion.

KELLY'S VIEW: Amid his annual basketball camp in Canada, Heat big man Kelly Olynyk was asked by kamloopsthisweek.com about the Heat's crowded power rotation with himself, Hassan Whiteside and Bam Adebayo. "I bring a little bit of a different skillset and different look than those two guys, but competition is good," Olynyk said. "That's what you want on your team. Whether coming off the bench or starting, you want to make sure you’re bringing something to the table every time you step on the floor, making each other better. There is a lot to grow on, a lot to still improve on. I love the way the coaching staff thinks and their trajectory for me and, hopefully, giving me the most opportunity possible to be successful."

WORLD TOUR: Former Heat assistant coach David Fizdale made good on his vow upon taking over as New York Knicks coach to visit star forward Kristaps Porzingis in Latvia. "We've talked about his rehab," Fizdale told Latvian television network LSM, with Porzingis recovering from February ACL surgery. "We've talked about how we want to play, our style of play, talked a lot about the culture that we’re building. We want to make sure that he comes back strong and healthy." Porzingis did not have the best relationship with former Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek, skipping his 2017 postseason meeting with the coach who was deposed after this past season. The New York Daily News reported it was the first time anyone from the Knicks' staff had traveled to Latvia since Porzingis was selected in the 2015 first round.

NUMBER

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2. Players from Heat summer-league teams that have signed two-way contracts with the Dallas Mavericks the past two seasons, with undrafted Arkansas guard Daryl Macon doing so recently after Heat 2017 summer player Gian Clavell, the Hialeah Garden product, spent time on a Dallas two-way deal last season.